349 Road Deaths in 2024: Significant Decline

349 Road Deaths in 2024: Significant Decline

APA/FF MATTERSBURG

With 349 people reported to have died on Austria’s roads last year, according to preliminary figures, the Ministry of the Interior (BMI) announced on New Year’s Day that this is the second-lowest figure since records began in 1950. This represents a 13.2% decrease compared to 2023, when 402 fatalities were recorded. Only in the first COVID year (2020), with 344 road deaths, were the numbers lower.

“This statistic highlights the good and diligent work of the police on Austria’s roads,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in a press release. Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security, added: “Police officers have been sensitized to drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and regular targeted checks contribute to the safety of all road users.” In addition to monitoring and enforcement, prevention and awareness-raising were cited as key tasks of law enforcement to prevent accidents.

The 349 road fatalities are less than one-eighth of the number recorded in 1972, the “darkest year” in accident statistics, when 2,948 people died. Since then, the number of registered vehicles in Austria has nearly tripled from 2.5 million to 7.3 million in 2024. As recently as 2012, 531 fatalities were recorded, significantly higher than 500.

In 2024, the highest number of road deaths occurred in Lower Austria with 83 (compared to 100 in 2023) and Upper Austria with 72 (75). The lowest numbers were in Vorarlberg with seven (13) and Burgenland with 16 (21). In Styria, 61 (81) people lost their lives, in Tyrol 32 (35), in Carinthia 29 (30), in Salzburg 28 (35), and in Vienna 20 (12). Vienna was the only region where fatalities increased, while Lower Austria and Vorarlberg recorded the lowest numbers in 60 years.

Of the 349 fatal accidents, 147 were car occupants, 82 motorcyclists (including 27 on light motorcycles), 46 pedestrians, 32 cyclists (20 of whom were on e-bikes), and 21 truck occupants (13 in small trucks). Compared to the previous year, most categories saw a decline in fatalities, except for truck occupants, which saw a slight increase.

The most common causes of fatal accidents were inattention or distraction (33.1%), inappropriate speed (23.6%), and failure to yield right of way (13.5%). Drugs or medications were a factor in 24 fatal accidents (6.9%). There was a decrease in pedestrian-related accidents, but an increase in incidents involving alcohol, drugs, or medication, the BMI reported. Most fatal accidents occurred on former federal highways (139 deaths), followed by state roads (105) and other roads (72). A majority of fatalities (247, or 71%) occurred in rural areas, while 101 (29%) occurred in urban areas.

Four children aged 14 or younger died in road traffic in 2024—three as car occupants and one as a pedestrian. In 2023, seven children died, and in 2022, the number was 13. No children aged six to 15 years died in school route accidents in 2024. The deadliest accident of the year occurred on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at around 9:00 PM on Wiener Neustädter Straße (B17) in St. Egyden am Steinfeld, Neunkirchen district, Lower Austria. A small truck overturned in a roundabout, killing four occupants and seriously injuring two others. The victims included four Latvians, one Russian, and one Swedish citizen.

Despite the significant decline compared to the previous year, the Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ) expressed criticism. “With 349 road deaths, the traffic safety target set for 2020 of fewer than 312 fatalities was once again clearly missed. When traffic safety goals are missed, people pay with their health or even their lives,” said VCÖ spokesperson Christian Gratzer in a press release.

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